tort law Flashcards
what is tort law?
Part of private law dealing with the
responsibility for wrongs (damages) caused to a
third party.
liability
The legal responsibility for damages caused
to others.
civil liability
- Accountability between individuals;
- Lower standard of proof.
tort liability
- Imposed between members of a community.
- Compensation and prevention.
tort
Wrong committed against
another that causes them
damage.
(unlawful act)
causation
The relationship between
a tortious act and the
consequences it produces.
damages
Harm or loss suffered by
the victim
qualitative liability
For those responsible for
people or things that
might cause harm to
others.
defences
Way in which the tortfeasor can negate liability or reduce the
owed damages (e.g.,necessity and consent).
tortious act
‘As a tortious act is regarded a violation of someone else’s
right (entitlement) and an act or omission in violation of a duty
imposed by law or of what according to unwritten law has to be
regarded as proper social conduct.
- always as far as there was no justification for this behaviour.
‘A person who commits a tortious act (unlawful act) against another person that can be attributed to him, must…
repair the damage that this
other person has suffered as a result thereof.’
Infringement of a right
Direct, immediate, or intentional violation of
another’s subjective right. This includes:
- absolute property rights
- personality rights
Act or omission in violation to what is
customary in society according to unwritten
law
- Most important type. Open formulation
makes it applicable to a very wide scope of
situations. - ‘According to unwritten law’: no written
rules, so we must rely on socially accepted
standards of proper and careful conduct.
tandard of care
Socially accepted standards of proper and
careful conduct
Endangerment
the creation or continuation of
a dangerous situation
Cellar Door (Kelderluik) criteria:
- Degree of probability with which the nonobservance of the required caution and prudence (of the victim) can be expected
- Likelihood of this harm occurring as a result of
certain behavior - Nature and extent of the damage feared
- Level of difficulty (for the perpetrator) in terms
of cost, time and effort to take precautions
Special circumstances that remove the unlawful
character of an otherwise unlawful act. It
includes:
- Force majeure (i.e., state of emergency)
- Self-defense
- Implementation of a legal requirement (i.e.,
obtained permission to commit an unlawful
act) - Authorized official order (i.e., command
from police officer)
‘A tortious act can be attributed to…
the tortfeasor if it results
from his fault or from a cause for which he is accountable by
virtue of law or generally accepted principles (common
opinion)
Fault
When someone commits a wrongful act
through inadvertence or carelessness
(negligence) or deliberately (intention).
Generally accepted views
Used for cases where personal culpability is
lacking, while liability is nevertheless desirable
in connection with a reasonable allocation of
risk. Ex: foreign driver errs Dutch traffic rules
and causes accident.